March 01, 2021
Dance Department at La Roche University Welcomes Rikkai Scott as Guest Artist
PITTSBURGH, March 1, 2021 – The La Roche University Dance Department, in partnership with Bodiography Contemporary Ballet, will welcome Artistic Director Rikkai Scott of BDblaq as its 2021 guest artist this April.
“Our program’s notoriety is the result of our balance between faculty, resident artists and guest artists. We believe that every individual in the arts benefits from an array of critically acclaimed voices and perspectives,” Performing Arts Department Chair and Bodiography Founder Maria Caruso said. “To ensure that our dancers are viable in the arts ecosystem post-graduation, we work to curate a roster of guests that are diverse and expansive. Rikkai Scott’s unique hip-hop/tap fusion style is what drew us to him, and we feel that his work is an asset to our educational experience.”
Mr. Scott is known for his signature style of dance theater combining tap, hip-hop and contemporary elements of humor. He founded BDblaq Dance in 2016 as a platform to bring different artists together and reach a wide range of audiences by telling significant stories that share a strong drive of life experiences in high quality through performance art.
Grace Larimer, a junior, said, “Rikkai Scott’s hip-hop/tap fusion is unique to anything taught in the La Roche dance program or in my prior training. Working with him in a genre that is unfamiliar to me will pull me out of my comfort zone, give me a new perspective on dance and enrich my experience as an artist.”
Born and raised in Bermuda, Mr. Scott was introduced to dance at age 4, receiving tap and hip-hop training at United Dance Productions. During his career he has performed tap solo works as an opening act for Beyoncé and Alicia Keys, and has worked as a company artist for the following: Amsterdam-based De Kiss Moves Fusion Dance Company; Avant Garde Dance, Boy Blue Entertainment, Michaela Cisarikova Dance Collective and Jean Aberu Dance.
Mr. Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts in fine arts from the London Contemporary Dance School.
About La Roche University: A private liberal arts university in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, La Roche University offers 66 undergraduate programs of study, six master’s degrees and one doctoral degree, with particular strengths in education, business, criminal justice, psychology, and health and medical sciences as well as interior design and graphic design. This residential university provides a vibrant campus community for nearly 1,300 men and women enjoying 30-plus student organizations and an exciting NCAA Div. III athletics program. Founded by the Sisters of Divine Providence in 1963, La Roche University embraces its Catholic heritage while welcoming people of all faiths and backgrounds. With a legacy of social justice and a commitment to international exchange, La Roche University educates students to be lifelong learners and achievers in an increasingly diverse and global society.
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